Chuck Palahniuck's Novel Snuff gets a new Title for the Italian Edition.

Apparently Italian Publishers aren't so subtle. Chuck Palahniuck just tweeted this cover of the Italian edition of his novel Snuff. A tongue in cheek look at the adult film industry, Snuff is a raunchy, racy, riotous tale that is a seriously fun read. Here's the photo, which features the new title for the book:

By renaming the book, publishers kind of missed the whole point of the book. The sex, which features prominently, is really just a back drop for the rest of the story. A reflection of the porn industry itself, the reader is supposed to become desensitized to the copious amounts of sex, it isn't the focus, it is merely a means to an end. At least that's my take on it. Regardless, it's fun to see another culture's take on this fabulous piece of literature.

Chuck Palahniuk has a wicked sense of humour

I came across this cartoon online today on Facebook, and it made me laugh. If you have read his work, and are not just a douche waffle Hipster poser, then you know that Chuck's work is some of the most visceral and gripping contemporary american literature out there, and it demands to be discussed and shared by a group of like minded individuals. This usually means that his surname is constantly being mis-pronounced. Because we are such huge fans of his work, my circle of friends has always just referred to him as Chuck. Perhaps it is a little informal, but hey, we devour his work, so I'm sure he'd be fine with it. For the record, his re-tweet of this image included the phonetic pronunciation "Paula-nick". Go figure. Look for his latest novel "Doomed" later this year, or if you haven't read them yet, rush out and buy copies of Fight Club, Rant, Invisible Monsters, and all of his other amazing novels. You'll be glad you did.

To be continued???

Words I never thought I would see at the end of a Chuck Palahniuk novel, but as I devoured the final paragraph of his latest offering, Damned, those 3 little words were what I found to be the conclusion.
First thing, if you don't know who Chuck is, crawl out from under your rock, and run, don't walk down to your local bookseller.  Beg their forgiveness, and then ask them to please help you find a copy of Pygmy or Survivor, or Snuff. 
  If something a little more mainstream is what you are looking for, ask for a copy of Fight Club.  Oh, that rang a bell? Directed by David Fincher, starring Ed Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonheim-Carter, the Hollywood adaptation of Chuck's commentary on the perversity of the  American dream introduced Chuck's ideology to the masses, while conversely leaving Chuck himself shrouded in the mediocrity of relatively obscurity.  I could write whole essays on the scathing insights contained in those pages, but the first rule of Fight Club must be revered. YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB.
  A brilliant American Novelist with a deft,  satirical grasp on the decaying heartbeat of modern culture, Chuck has developed a loyal fan base that far outweighs cult status.
  Each of his novels is a standalone expose into the rotten core of a facet of American culture that Chuck finds laughable, corrupt, or just out right ridiculous.   So imagine my surprise to see those 3 little words at the end of Damned.  A second book?
The story of Madison Spencer, the porky progeny of a jet-setting Hollywood power couple who insist on adopting a new under-privileged orphan from a third world country to coincide with each movie premier (ring any bells?), Madison has the luck to wake up dead. Not Zombie dead, or god forbid, Emo Vampire  Undead, but really and truely consigned to damnation in Hell D-E-A-D.  For those of you familiar with the work of Christopher Moore, Madison shares many qualities with Abby Normal.  Scathing, aloof, and way to big for her britches, 13 year old Madison is an intriguing tour guide on this romp through the hereafter.
  A Breakfast Club in Hell, mixed with journal entries reminiscent of Judy Blume's Are You There God?  It's Me Margaret, Damned explores the values that fixate our culture on the great beyond.  In true Chuck fashion, very little of the "truth" of hell is what one would expect to find based on the common conceptions.  With focus on topography that includes the swamp of partial birth abortions and the sea of wasted semen, Chuck never shies away from horrific  imagery that is guaranteed to sear itself directly into the cerrebellum of his readers.
So why the "To Be Continued"?  As it turns out Chuck has modeled this undertaking on Dante's Divine Tragedy.  3 works focusing on: Damnation, Purgatory, and finally Redemption.  Written over 2 and a half years while Chuck cared for his dying Mother, Damned, and its follow up novels are Chucks expression of grief for the things in life that can't be compartmentalized and controlled.
While as a stand alone work, Damned does not near the perfection of some of Chuck's other classic pieces such as Rant, Invisible Monsters, or Tell All, I am intrigued to see where Madison's journey of self-discovery will take her on her long road to Redemtion.